News

OHSU kicked off its global health collaboration in Myanmar with a special visit in July by the Buddhist High Monk of Myanmar. The event, which took place at Casey Eye Institute, featured a symbolic signing of a memorandum of understanding –or MOU –to honor the growing relationship between OHSU and the Tipitaka Eye Hospital in Myanmar. The signing ceremony was preceded by remarks from OHSU and Casey leaders, the Buddhist High Monk and other special guests from the Myanmar and Portland Buddhist communities.

A Sayadaw, or high monk, is a prestigious designation for those who have passed the highest possible exam for monks. Under the stewardship of Myanmar's Sayadaw, the monk-led hospital has built a highly respected program that provides free eye care to tens of thousands of children and adults throughout Myanmar. Its services are helping alleviate the country's high rate of avoidable blindness caused by decades of political and economic isolation and poverty.

"Although there are talented eye care providers in Myanmar, there are too few ophthalmologists and subspecialty eye care is severely lacking," said Mitchell Brinks, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of ophthalmology, OHSU School of Medicine and director of Casey's International Ophthalmology Program.

Casey faculty and staff are partnering with Tipitaka Eye Hospital to build programs that will have long-term benefits for both the people of Myanmar and Oregon. Priorities include training mid-level health care personnel, instituting a pediatric vision screening program and developing a health record database.

"OHSU and Casey will benefit equally, if not more than Tipitaka in this collaboration," noted Casey director David Wilson, M.D., in his remarks at the ceremony. "The larger population in Myanmar, which has more severe, yet treatable eye disease, will teach all of us about which type of systems are effective," said Wilson, who is professor and Thiele-Petti Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, at the OHSU School of Medicine. "We look forward to applying that knowledge to our own vision care in Oregon."

The monk's visit dovetailed with Casey's biennial International and Community Ophthalmology conference, which was attended by more than 100 public health experts from the U.S. and other countries.

The Macular Degeneration Center at Casey Eye Institute, OHSU, publishes InSight, a newsletter about new developments in treating and living with this condition. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States.

How OHSU physicians teamed up to diagnose and treat a teen with a brain tumor

In the fall of 2013, 15-year-old Tigard
High School sophomore Brandt Goetz suffered an
apparent concussion during a youth tackle football game. A few weeks later,
when he began suffering from headaches and blurred vision, his parents were convinced
that something else was going on. Brandt's mother, Michelle Goetz, took him to
see an eye doctor who then referred them to OHSU's Casey Eye Institute.

A week later, on a Friday, Brandt's
father, Jason Goetz, took his son to Oregon Health & Science University's
Department of Sports Medicine where he was evaluated for a standard concussion.
That same day, the teen was examined by neuro-ophthalmologist
Julie Falardeau, M.D., who evaluates
the visual signs and symptoms of complex neurological problems. After thoroughly
reviewing Brandt's medical history, she noticed swelling in the optic nerves of
both of his eyes. She moved quickly to
get Brandt in for an MRI that night. By 8 a.m. the next morning, she had discovered
what was causing the blurry vision – a large brain tumor on Brandt's left
temporal lobe.

Imaging technology developed at OHSU Casey Eye Institute is game changer for managing leading causes of blindness

Recently, scientists, clinicians and engineers from throughout the world gathered at OHSU Casey Eye Institute for the first-ever international Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Angiography Summit. Participants spent the day sharing their knowledge and discussing applications of a breakthrough imaging technology that is transforming the way we diagnose and care for patients with the most common causes of blindness, namely macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetes. OCT angiography is a noninvasive imaging technique proving to be a superior alternative to dye-based methods for visualizing and measuring blood flow in the back of the eye.

New study compares drug treatments for diabetic eye disease

For the millions of Americans living with diabetes, one of the most worrisome complications is diabetic macular edema (DME), a type of eye problem that can threaten vision. Regular injections of medications into the eye, as well as laser therapy, are the mainstay treatments. Casey researchers recently completed a study comparing medications used to treat DME.

Local teen invents Magniglass for patients with low vision

Like most grandparents, Marian Reekie is proud of her grandchildren. But the 81-year old Portland resident has an especially good reason to brag about her 14-year old grandson, Christopher Reekie. Visually impaired from advanced age-related macular degeneration – or AMD - Marian is able to see faces and read print for the first time in years thanks to a pair of video magnification glasses Christopher created on his own.

Representative Williamson on Vision-Screening

Oregon State Representative, Jennifer Williamson, sponsor of HB 3000, discusses the importance of early vision screening in order to provide all children the opportunity to succeed.

Casey researchers take new look at glaucoma using advanced imaging technology

A team of researchers at OHSU Casey Eye Institute are opening the curtain on this stealthy disease that can be a challenge to identify and follow over time. Using groundbreaking optical imaging techniques, the scientists are studying the eye's blood flow to improve early detection and better understand how glaucoma develops.

Early Detection and Managing Disease Key to Healthy Eyes

If you've been diagnosed with diabetes, make sure to include regular comprehensive eye exams to your health care regimen of watching your diet and monitoring your blood sugar. Diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults in the United States. Diabetic retinopathy, the most common form, affects nearly 29 percent of Americans with diabetes age 40 and older, according to the National Eye Institute. The number of people with diabetic retinopathy is expected to grow from 7 million to 11 million by 2030.

"Vision loss from diabetic retinopathy carries very severe physical, psychological, social and economic consequences on individuals and their communities worldwide," says retina specialist Andreas Lauer, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology at Casey Eye Institute. Although there have been inroads in research and treatment, the prevalence and impact of diabetic retinopathy is expected to grow as nations become more industrialized and life expectancy increases. "Diabetic retinopathy is poised to be an overwhelming global public health problem," he says.

Halloween lenses can lead to scary eye problems

Black cape? Check. Plastic fangs? Check. Scary make-up? Check. Contact lenses to make your eyes look blood red? Unless they've been prescribed and fitted by an eye care professional, leave your novelty lenses at home this Halloween. Casey Eye Institute physicians caution that you could experience your own horror story, namely the risk of permanent vision loss from a painful eye infection or serious injury. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the safety and effectiveness of contact lenses and considers them a medical device. Decorative lenses, often sold on the Internet and in beauty salons and novelty shops, are illegal if purchased or sold without a valid prescription from an eye doctor. In fact, the agency recently launched "Operation Double Vision," a concerted effort to seize unapproved, illegally imported decorative and counterfeit lenses.

Student Volunteer Awarded Summer Student Fellowship

The national nonprofit organization Fight for Sight has awarded a 2013 Summer Student Fellowship to OHSU Casey Eye Institute student volunteer, Hope Titus. Her grant, "Natural history assessment of retinitis pigmentosa with Imagine Eyes rtx1™ Adaptive Optics," will establish repeatability measures for single cell cone counting in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). One of the most common forms of inherited retinal degeneration, RP gradually leads to blindness by causing death of rod and cone photoreceptors.

Casey Eye Institute and the Oregon State Elks celebrate $25 million raised

Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon State Elks are celebrating a multi-million-dollar milestone this week that has helped treat and prevent eye disease for thousands of children throughout the region.

Since 1949, the Elks Children's Eye Clinic at OHSU's Casey Eye Institute has been dedicated to making children's vision their top priority. This commitment has resulted in more than $25 million and thousands of volunteer hours, bringing sight to children who might not otherwise have experienced this most important sense.

"Over the last 64 years the Elks have played a crucial role in advancing all three of OHSU's missions: teaching, research and patient care, for pediatric eye patients" said David Wilson, M.D., Thiele-Petti Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of Casey Eye Institute. "We are incredibly grateful for their sustained, loyal support."

Richard Weleber, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at OHSU Casey Eye Institute, was awarded a grant of $50,000 from the Hear See Hope Foundation to further his research of Usher syndrome, an inherited disorder that causes impaired hearing at birth and progressive vision loss. Dr. Weleber, a leading expert in genetic eye diseases, received the award in July at a national meeting in Portland for families affected by this uncommon and devastating condition.

Andreas Lauer, M.D., Honored for Achievements in Resident Education

OHSU Casey Eye Institute physician Andreas (Andy) Lauer, M.D., has been named as the recipient of the prestigious Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education for 2013. The annual honor, given by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), is in recognition of Dr. Lauer's outstanding achievements in resident education.

Lauren's Story

Born with a hearing impairment and facing blindness from Usher syndrome, Conner and his family are actively involved in advancing research to prevent vision loss from this genetic condition. But young Conner is not alone- learn about his best buddy Lauren’s selfless efforts to help her friend and their amazing story of friendship, hope and Casey’s groundbreaking work to treat this rare, inherited disease.

Casey Begins First Gene Therapy Study For Usher Syndrome

LCA Gene Discovery

For nearly three years, Troy and Jennifer Stevens struggled to learn the identity of the gene responsible for their son Gavin's blindness. With the help of Casey genetic expert John Chiang, PhD, they were able to expand their understanding, while discovering a new gene in the process.